“It is a difficult situation,” he said presently.
I pushed my cap farther back on my head and rubbed my hand across my eyes—eyes that were tired and weary with what they had seen that night.
“I dread the effect of this night’s doing; it will almost demoralize our staff, to say nothing of its effect upon outsiders. We are looking to you to straighten out this hideous tangle. And it must be soon.”
His face was very sober.
“I hope to do so,” he said gravely. “I think I am not saying too much when I tell you that I have good reason to hope for success.”
There was a restrained little throb of exhilaration in his voice.
“Do you mean——” I began sharply. He interrupted me.
“I mean only that I am beginning to arrive at some conclusions.” And without giving me a chance to ask what those conclusions were he continued at once: “Are you sure Higgins said it was a man’s face that he saw?”
I went back in my memory, over that brief and baffling conversation, now never to be finished. Poor Higgins!
“No,” I said thoughtfully. “He did not definitely say it was a man. I—I’m afraid I just assumed it to be a man.”